Other / mixed grade configuration · Chicago, IL

Mcdowell Elem School

Federal NCES profile for Mcdowell Elem School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 170993000839

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Compiled from official source data by PlainSchools. · Updated August 2026

The verdict

Mcdowell Elem School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% of Illinois schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Illinois schools.

#13 of 394
schools in Chicago · Resource Index: 48
Resource Index · Typical: 10.2:1
small classes for Illinois: 112
students enrolled

Mcdowell Elem School has class sizes smaller than 89% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Mcdowell Elem School ranks #13 of 394 schools in Chicago, IL.

School address

Chicago, IL 60619

District: City of Chicago Sd 299 · Illinois

NCES ID 170993000839 Verify on NCES CCD record →

NCES CCD universe card

School universe 170993000839 · Chicago, IL Other · SMALL · TRAD

112 enr · 10.2:1 · RII 48

Nearest enrollment peer: Lane Technical High School (4,604 students)

Resource Investment Index #13 of 394 schools in Chicago. NCES Common Core of Data stamps for this campus. Read with this school → · District book → · Illinois schools → · Find another →

Lane Technical

4,604
Taft High Scho

4,487
Curie Metropol

3,099
Kenwood Academ

2,268
Young Magnet H

2,223
This school

112

What this shows Mcdowell Elem School reports 112 students on the CCD universe file.

How Mcdowell Elem School compares

Mcdowell Elem School on the metrics families compare, against Illinois and U.S. means.

Metric	This school	vs Illinois	Illinois avg	U.S. avg
Students per teacher	10.2:1	▼ 27%	14:1	15.7:1
Enrollment	112	top 94%	-	-

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

10.2:1

Leaner classes than 88% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.

112

Bigger than 11% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Staffing depth

10.2:1

students per teacher - 27% below state mean

Top 11% in Illinois - lower ratio than 89% of state schools

Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.

Engagement

30.4%

chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)

At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.

Funding equity

$22,699

per pupil, district-wide - above Illinois avg of $18,196

Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.

Support staff

Counselors1.0 FTE

Per 112 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.

Discipline context

in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school

Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Student demographics

African American 95.5%

Two or More 2.7%

Hispanic or Latino 1.8%

Largest group: African American at 95.5% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 8.7/100

Simpson diversity index - at 8.7, Mcdowell Elem School is less mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for City of Chicago Sd 299, which includes Mcdowell Elem School.

$22,699

Per student

+25%

vs Illinois

Avg $18,196

+29%

vs U.S.

Avg $17,658

Revenue mix

Local 52.8%

State 29.9%

Federal 17.4%

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2022-23 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.

How Mcdowell Elem School Compares to District-Mates

School	Enrollment	Economic Profile	Student-Teacher Ratio	Resources	Type
Lane Technical High School	Larger	No free-lunch data	Higher S:T ratio	Lower resources	Traditional public
Taft High School	Larger	No free-lunch data	Higher S:T ratio	Similar resources	Traditional public
Curie Metropolitan High School	Larger	No free-lunch data	Higher S:T ratio	Lower resources	Traditional public
Kenwood Academy High School	Larger	No free-lunch data	Higher S:T ratio	Lower resources	Traditional public
Young Magnet High School	Larger	No free-lunch data	Higher S:T ratio	Similar resources	Traditional public

Comparisons are relative to Mcdowell Elem School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

City Of Chicago Sd 299 · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Lane Technical High School

Other Standard

Enrollment: 4,604
Students per teacher: 17.8:1
Resource Index: 38/100

Compare side-by-side

Taft High School

Other Standard

Enrollment: 4,487
Students per teacher: 16.7:1
Resource Index: 41/100

Compare side-by-side

Curie Metropolitan High School

High Standard

Enrollment: 3,099
Students per teacher: 16.1:1
Resource Index: 32/100

Compare side-by-side

Kenwood Academy High School

Other Standard

Enrollment: 2,268
Students per teacher: 18.6:1
Resource Index: 34/100

Compare side-by-side

Young Magnet High School

Other Standard

Enrollment: 2,223
Students per teacher: 17.5:1
Resource Index: 52/100

Compare side-by-side

Similar other schools in Chicago

6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

Quick compare:

Lane Technical High School

Standard public school

4,604 students 17.8:1 students per teacher

Taft High School

Standard public school

4,487 students 16.7:1 students per teacher

Kenwood Academy High School

Standard public school

2,268 students 18.6:1 students per teacher

Young Magnet High School

Standard public school

2,223 students 17.5:1 students per teacher

Disney Elem Magnet School

Standard public school

1,384 students 15.2:1 students per teacher

Morgan Park High School

Standard public school

1,349 students 19:1 students per teacher

Nationwide other schools with similar size or staffing

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by student-teacher ratio, not the same-city or same-district lists above.

Similar enrollment (~112 students)

Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.2:1)

Frequently asked questions about Mcdowell Elem School

How many students attend Mcdowell Elem School?

Mcdowell Elem School has 112 students enrolled. It is a public school in Chicago, IL.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Mcdowell Elem School?

The student-teacher ratio at Mcdowell Elem School is 10.2:1, which is 27% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 35% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mcdowell Elem School?

The largest demographic group at Mcdowell Elem School is African American at 95.5% of enrollment, in Chicago, IL.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Mcdowell Elem School?

Mcdowell Elem School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Mcdowell Elem School rank among schools in Chicago?

By Resource Investment Index, Mcdowell Elem School ranks #13 of 394 schools in Chicago, IL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Chicago on the city page.

What other schools are in City of Chicago Sd 299?

Besides Mcdowell Elem School, City of Chicago Sd 299 also operates Lane Technical High School (4,604 students), Taft High School (4,487 students), and Curie Metropolitan High School (3,099 students). See the City of Chicago Sd 299 district page for the complete list.

Compiled from official source data by PlainSchools. · Updated August 2026

Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.